Study: 253 Parishes Had Accused Pedophile Priests
CHICAGO (WBBM) - Concerned Catholics and clergy sex abuse victims released the results of a new five year study during a news conference Monday.
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Volunteers from the groups "Voice of the Faithful" and "Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests" spent five years combing through the assignment records of nearly 100 admitted, proven, and accused predator priests.
An analysis of the data finds that 253 of the Chicago archdiocese's roughly 400 parishes have, at one time, had an accused pedophile priest working there.
30 parishes had two or more alleged predator priests assigned to them at one time. The analysis also found the Chicago Archdiocese placed a disproportionate percentage of accused pedophile priests in low income parishes.
The victims and victims' rights groups are urging church members to ask their relatives and friends if they were sexually violated by clergy and to come forward.
